Cartridge forming apparatus utilizing explosive pressure



J. LAKES Dec. 22, 1964 CARTRIDGE FORMING APPARATUS UTILIZING EXPLOSIVE PRESSURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 25, 1962 INVENTOR.

JACK LAKES ATTORNEYS United States Pate This invention relates to the forming of cartridges for use in rifles and the like, and in particular to apparatus for producing wildcat cartridges from conventional shells regardless of whether they have been previously fired.

A wildcat cartridge has a shell which is of-increased volume for holding a proportionately increased volume of powder so that when it is fired the bullet will be propelled with increased accuracy and range; To increase the volume of the shell, the main body portion of the shell is lengthened by moving the shoulder betweenthe body and neck portions upwardly from the shell base, and the outer diameter of the body'portion thereof is usually not changed. To use the Wildcatcartridge sportsmen must machine the chamber of a rifle to accommodate such an enlarged cartridge, and since generally only very skilled and enthusiastic sportsmen will utilize this concept for attaining increased accuracy and range, the cartridges are not produced commercially so that their cost is comparatively expensive when they are individually formed.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide apparatus for easily and inexpensively producing shells for wildcat cartridges from conventional shells which are available at relatively lowcost, and regardless of whether or not the shell has been previously fired.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for increasing the volume of a conventional shell so that it will accommodate an increased amount of powder to propel a bullet with increased range and accuracy, and in particular to apparatus of the aforesaid type which is inexpensive and easily operated by hand.

A further object of the invention is to provide the combination of a cartridge loading press including apparatus for enlarging the volume of conventional shells and thus for producing wildcat cartridges, for seating the bullet on various types of shells including a shell of a wildcat cartridge, for removing and replacing the primer in the base of a shell, and for resizing an expended shell.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cartridge loading press embodying the invention;

FIG. 2.is a top or plan view of the press shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view essentially along the line 33 of FIG. 2 illustrating apparatus for forming a wildcat cartridge;

A FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to that shown in FIG. 3 illustrating the blank shell in a die;

FIG. 5 is a view essentially identical to FIG. 4 but illustrating the arrangement subsequent to the forming of the wildcat shell;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view essentially along the line 6-6 of FIG. 2 illustrating the bullet seating die; and

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating apparatus for removing and replacing the primer and for resizing the neck of a cartridge. 7

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, FIG. 1 shows a cartridge loading press including a base 11 with a vertically extending main support post 12 having a turret 14 vertically supported on the upper end thereof. The turret 14 is rotatable with respect to the axis of support post 12 and a spring biased detent 15 (see FIG. 2) is provided for insuring that the turret 14 will be properly positioned in any of the four positions wherein the arms 17 are positioned directly above the cartridge holder 28.

The cartridge holder 26 is releasably secured in the table 22 which slides vertically on the main post 12, and which has an arm 23 extending rearwardly therefrom with an adjustable stop screw 25 threaded therethrough for engagement with the base 11 to limit the downward movement of the table 22. A guide post 27 is also secured to the base 11 and extends'upwardly therefrom parallel to the main. post 12 to a point just below the lower or bottom surface (not shown) of the turret 14. The post 27 extends through the bore 28 in the arm 23 for the purpose of guiding movement of the table 22 and preventing rotation thereof, thus insuring that the movement of the table 22 is only in the vertical direction.

The handle 3il and its associated arm 31 are provided for effecting rotation of the pivot shaft 33 suitably mounted in the base 11 for actuating linkage 35 to raise and lower the table 22 with respect to the turret 14. The linkage 35 includes a split link 36 having one end rigidly secured to the pivot shaft 33 and its outer end connected by the pivot pin 37 to the link 38 which is secured to the table 22 by the pivot pin 39.

As shown, three of the four arms 17 on the turret 14 have cartridge forming devices mounted therein. Thus, a wildcat shell forming die 4t? and its associated mufiier 42 are mounted on one arm, the bullet seating die 44 is positioned on another of the arms 17, while the powder storage and supply device 35 is provided on still a third arm. The latter device 45 is capable of measuring substantially any desired amount of powder which is delivered through a suitable bore in the turret 14 to a shell positioned on the holder 2% when the turret is properly positioned. The supply device 45 is well known to the art and does not form part of the invention.

The wildcat cartridge forming apparatus'is shown in FIG. 3 and includes the die it) which has the external threads do thereon for engagement with the similarly threaded bore 47 in the turret 14. A lock ring 48 also engages the threads 46 on the die 4i) for securely locking the die 40 into position on the turret 14-, and a locking screw 52 extends through the bore 53 in the lock ring 48 into engagement with the threads 46 for the purpose of locking the ring 48 against movement.

A precisely shaped bore 55, which corresponds to the outer shape of the wildcat cartridge to be produced therein, extends centrally through the die 40 and includes a lower or body section 56 in communication with the open end 58 for forming the body of a wildcat cartridge. The sloping shoulder 69 formed immediately above the body section 56 tapers into the neck section s2, and this shoulder and neck section are utilized to produce a precisely formed shoulder and neck of a wildcat cartridge. In practice, the body and neck sections 56 and 62 of the 'die 40 generally have diameters which correspond to the outer diameter of body and neck of the blank shell, and the primary difference between the shape of the bore and the blank shell is that the shoulder 60 of the die 40 is spaced upwardly from the shoulder of the blank cartridge.

The upper end of the bore 55 is tapped for threadedly receiving the similarly threaded mount as of the mother 42, and a lock nut 67 also engages the threads 68 for locking the rnuflier 42' in position on the die 4%. The mutiier 42 includes a hollow cylindrical shell or body 70 which communicates through the restricted passage 72 in the mount 65 with the bore 55. A plurality of holes or openings 74 are formed in the top end 75 of the muflier, and the body 79 is filled with a suitable non-corrosive material 77, e.g., stainless steel wool, for dampening the flow of gases and the noises produced in the die 4%. It is, however, within the scope of the invention to utilize a mufiier of any of the well known types, such as one having a plurality of bafiles therein, without departing from the scope of the invention. In this respect, it is important that the restricted passage '72 or its equivalent be of sufiicient size to restrict the flow of gases from the bore 55 of the die 40, as will be described.

The table 22 is shown in the raised position in FIG. 3 wherein the shell holder is positioned immediately below the die it! for cooperation therewith, and includes a body 81 which has a reduced outside diameter on the lower portion 83 thereof so that it is received in the bore 84 of the table 22 and so that the shoulder contacts the upper periphery of this bore 34 to limit downward movement of the holder 20. The lock screw 87 extends through the tapped bore 83 in the table 22 into engagement with a recess 89 in the reduced diameter portion 84 of the holder 20 for locking it in position. A bore 96 extends axially through the body 81 and has the inwardly projecting annular flange 92 formed in the upper end 93 thereof while the lower end 5 thereof is threaded for receiving the similarly threaded plug 96.

The firing pin mechanism includes a rod 98 which extends through an opening in the plug 96 and has a piston 99 on one end thereof which is slightly smaller in diameter than the bore 90 so that it will reciprocate easily therein.

A firing pin 100 is formed on the upper side of the piston 9% and extends through the small aperture 192 formed by the inwardly extending flanges 92 of the body 81, and a coil spring 104 is interposed between the plug 96 and the piston 29 so that the firing pin 1% is urged upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 3. A knob 105 is secured to the lower end of the rod 98 for the purpose of manually actuating the firing pin mechanism, and it is within the scope of the invention to provide other apparatus for actuating the firing pin 100, such as mechanism actuated by the movement of the linkage 35.

In a conventional manner, the upper end 93 of the holder 20 has an inwardly projecting flange 106 which extends partially around the body 81 and is spaced above the flange 92 to form a slot so that the flange on the base end of a shell or cartridge will be received therein and held against movement except for insertion and removal from the holder 20, as shown in FIG. 4.

The method and operation of the wildcat cartridge forming apparatus are illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, wherein the blank shell 110, which may have been previously fired and had a new primer 111 secured in the base 112 thereof, is placed on the holder 20 and raised into the bore 55 of the die as the table 22 is raised by suitably moving the handle 50. Since the bore of the die 49 has a diameter which precisely corresponds to the outside diameter of the body of a finished wildcat shell, forcing the shell 110 in the bore 55 decreases the outside diameter thereof to the proper dimension.

When the holder 81 fully seats the shell 11th in the bore 55, as shown in FIG. 4, the actuating linkage 35 is in a straight line, that is, the pivot pins 36 and 39 and the center of the pivot shaft 33 lie along a straight line, thus locking the table 22 and the holder in the raised position. It is Within the scope of the invention to provide other types of locking apparatus for holding the table 22 and the associated linkage 35 in the raised position, for example, a releasable latch could be provided so that when the handle 30 is moved to the precise position wherein the linkage is in a straight line, the arm 31 would contact a stop and become latched in position thus prohibiting further rotation thereof.

A few grains of a suitable powder or explosive material are placed in the shell 110 either before or after it is moved into the bore 55. With the mufiier 42 and the shell holder 20 properly in place, the firing pin 109 is actuated by pulling downwardly on the knob and then releasing it so that the spring 104 forces the firing pin 1% upwardly into contact with the primer 111 in the base 112 of the shell 110. In the usual manner the primer explodes and ignites the charge in the shell thus creating a larger explosion to generate high pressure gases which fill the shell 110 and the bore 55.

By way of an example, a 219 Zepper shell can be formed into a 219 Zepper Improved Wildcat Cartridge by inserting it into the die and filling it with 3 grains of Bulls-eye pistol powder, or in the alternative, 7 grains of 2400 rifle powder. It should be understood that this is but an, example, and that other powders may be used to form this wildcat shell.

The restricted passage 72, or its equivalent, such as a pressure relief valve, limits the rate of flow of these gases from the bore 55 so that pressure is maintained therein for sutficient time to act on the inner sides of the blank shell 11% to force them against the body and neck sections 56 and 62, and the shoulder 60 to reshape the shoulder 113 of the shell 110 so that it conforms to the shoulder 60 of the die 49, thus producing the wildcat shell 116a, as shown in FIG. 5. While the muffler 42 is preferred, it could be removed thus greatly increasing the noises which escape the device.

The gases and their associated noises from the bore 55 pass through the passage 72 into the mufiler 42 wherein they are substantially decreased. In practice, it is found that only a slight muffled sound accompanies this operation so that the invention may be practiced in the home without any annoying or distracting noises. Subsequent to the explosing of the charge the table 14 is lowered to withdraw the wildcat shell 110a from the die 40. It is important that it be appreciated that this invention contemplates expanding a new unexpended shell, as well as previously fired shells into a wildcat shell in the manner described above.

FIG. 6 illustrates a conventional bullet seating die 44, which may be utilized in connection with the wildcat cartridge forming die 40, and includes a body member 115 which is threadedly secured to the table 14 in substantially the same manner as the die 40. An adjustable pin 116 is threadedly received in the internal bore 118 of the body member 115 and is locked therein by the nut 121 which is loosened when it is desired to adjust the relative position of the pin 116 and the body member 115. The lower end 122 of the pin 116 has a cone-shaped indentation 123 formed therein for receiving and aligning the tip of the bullet 125, as will be described.

To place a bullet 125 on the shell 110a, the turret 14 is indexed so that the bullet seating die 44 is positioned above the holder 20 and a bullet 125 is mounted loosely in the neck of the wildcat shell 1161a which is then forced upwardly into the body member 115. This causes the bullet 125 to engage the indentation 123 in the end of the pin 116 and further upward movement of the table 22 vertically positions the bullet 125 and forces it into the shell 11%. The diameter or" the portion of the bore which engages the neck of the shell 110a prohibits expansion of the shell neck, and when the table 22 and the bullet holder are lowered or retracted the completed wildcat cartridge 11Gb is withdrawn from the bullet seating die 44 in the same manner as the shell 110a was retracted from the wildcat die 40.

FIG. 7 illustrates apparatus for removing the expended primer from the shells, for placing the new primer into position, and for resizing the neck of an expended or previously fired shell. In detail, a conventional shell holder is inserted in the bore 84 in the table 22 and the previously fired shell 133 positioned thereon. The mufiler 42 is removed from the die 40 and replaced with elongated depriming rod 135 having the threaded head 136 on one end thereof which is received by the threads vacated by the muflier 42, and locked into position by the lock nut 48.

As the table 22 is moved upwardly the expended shell 133 is forced into the bore 55 of the die and the point 138 of the depriming rod 135 engages the expended primer 140 to punch it from the base 141 of the shell 133, from where it falls through the bore 143 of the shell holder 130. During movement of the shell 133 upwardly into the die 46 the neck 133a as well as the body section 133 have their outer diameter reduced by the sections 56 and 62 of the bore 55. Subsequently, the table 22 is lowered to withdraw the shell 133 from the die 40 and resize the internal diameter of the neck 133!) as it is pulled over the enlarged portion 146 of the rod 135 which has a size corresponding to the desired internal diameter of the neck of the shell 133.

' To reprime the shell 133, the table 22 is lowered so that the primer replacement mechanism 151 extends upwardly through the bore 143 in the shell holder 13$ for the purpose of placing an unexpended primer 157 on the base 141 of the shell 133. This'mechanism includes a rod 153 which is threadedly secured to the base 11 and has a piston or enlarged portion 154 on the upper end thereof.

The sleeve 156 encloses the upper portions of the rod 153 and the piston 154, andthe tensionspring 159 surrounds the rod 153 and interconnects the piston 154 and the end of the sleeve 158 so that the sleeve normally extends above the piston 154 thus forming a cup-shaped recess for receiving and holding the replacement primer 157 in position in a well known manner. a

As the holder 130 slides downwardly onto the sleeve 156 until the inwardly extending projections 16d engage the sleeve 156 to force it downwardly with respect to the primer 157 and the piston 154, additional downward movement causes the holder 13% to compress the replacement primer 157 between the base 141 of the shell 133 and the piston 154 thus press fitting the primer 157 into position in the base of the shell. The table 22 is then raised slightly and the repri'med shell 133 removed therefrom.

Thus it is seen that the bullet seating die 44, the depriming rod 135 and the primer replacement mechanism 151 can be utilized with the wildcat cartridge forming mechanism, that is, the inventive combination described above will deprime and then reprime a previously fired conventional shell from this shell into a wildcat cartridge by use of the die 40 and associated apparatus, and then place a bullet therein by use of the reseating die 44.

On the other hand, the wildcat cartridge forming mechanism can be used with other press combinations. For example, this mechanism including the die 41), muffler 42 and bullet holder 26 could be adapted for use with the reloading press shown in FIG. 1 of US. Patent No. 2,958,924. It is also within the scope of the invention to remove the die 46 from the turret 14, and to construct a shell holder and firing mechanism which can be suitably coupled to the die 40 to provide a hand held wildcat cartridge forming device.

While the method and form of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise method and form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for increasing the volume of a blank shell to form a wildcat shell to increase the accuracy and range of a rifle using such a shell, comprising a die member having an elongated bore therein with an opening in one end thereof adapted to receive a blank shell, said bore including a body section terminating in said one end and having a diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the body of the wildcat shell, said bore having a reduced diameter portion adjacent said body section and spaced from said open end a predetermined distance for forming the neck and shoulder of a wildcat shell, shell holder means releasably secured to said die member for closing said one end to contact the shell adjacent the base to hold the blank shell in said bore, said shell holder means being movable between a first position spaced from said die member and an operative position with said die member wherein the blank shell is forced into said bore through said open end causing the shell to assume a shape no greater than said bore, means for locking said shell holder means and said die member in said operative position, means associated with said shell holder for exploding the few grains of gun powder in the blank shell to create a pressure therein sufficient to cause the blank shell to assume the shape of said bore, a restricted passage in said die member in communication with said reduced diameter portion for relieving the pressure at a predetermined controlled rate sufiiciently low to effect expansion of the blank shell to the configuration of said bore to produce a wildcat shell, and a muflier in communication with said passage to receive and decrease the rate of gas flow from said passage and to dampen the noise produced by exploding the charge.

2. Apparatus for forming a wildcat shell to increase the accuracy and range of a rifle using such a shell by increasing thevolume of a blank shell having a primer in the base thereof, comprising a die member having an elongated bore therein with an opening in one end thereof, said bore adapted to receive a blank shell and hold the same in a vertical position so that a few grains of powder will rest on or near the primer, said bore including a body section terminating in said one end and having a diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the body of the wildcat shell, said bore having a reduced diameter portion adjacent said body section and spaced from said open end a predetermined distance for forming the neck and shoulder of a wildcat shell, shell holder means releasably secured to said die member for closing said one end and adapted to receive the base of the blank shell, said shell holder means being movable between a first position spaced from said die member and an operative position with said die member wherein the blank shell is moved into said bore through said open end, means for locking said shell holder means and said die member in said operative position, means for exploding the few grains of gun powder in the blank shell adjacent the primer to create a pressure therein suflicient to cause the blank shell to assume the shape of said bore, and a restricted passage in said die member in communication with said reduced diameter portion for relieving the pressure at a predetermined controlled rate sufiiciently low to eifect expansion of the blank shell to the configuration of said bore and thus produce a wildcat shell.

3. Apparatus for increasing the volume of a blank shell to form a wildcat shell to increase the accuracy and range of a rifle using such a shell, comprising a base having at least one vertically extending post, a die member mounted vertically on said post and having an elongated bore therein with upper and lower openings in the ends thereof, said bore including a body section terminating in said lower opening and having a diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the body of the wildcat shell, said bore having a reduced diameter portion adjacent said body section and spaced from said upper opening a predetermined distance for forming the neck and shoulder of a wildcat shell, a vertically movable table on said post, said reduced diameter portion being in communication with said upper opening so that a few grains of powder may be poured therethrough into the shell, a shell holder on said table adapted to receive and hold a blank shell, said shell holder being movable on said table between a first position spaced from said die member and an operative position with said die member wherein the blank shell is forced into said bore through said open end causing the shell to assume a shape no greater than said bore, means for locking said table and shell holder and said die member in said operative position, means for exploding a few grains of gun powder in the blank shell to create a predetermined pressure therein, a muffler unit adapted to be secured to said upper opening and having a restricted passage in cornmunication with said reduced diameter portion for relieving the pressure at a predetermined controlled rate sufficiently low to effect expansion of the blank shell to the configuration of said bore to produce a wildcat shell, and said unit including a mufiler mounted on said die member in communication with said restricted passage to receive and decrease the rate ofrgas flow from said passage and to dampen the noise produced by exploding the charge.

4. Apparatus for increasing the volume of a blank shell to form a wildcat shell to increase the accuracy and range of a rifle using such a shell, comprising a base having at least one vertically extending post, a die member mounted vertically on said post and having an elongated bore therein with an opening in one end thereof, said bore including a body section terminating in said one end and having a diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the body of the wildcat shell, said bore having a reduced diameter portion adjacent said body section and spaced from said open end a predetermined distance for forming the neck and shoulder of a Wildcat shell, a vertically movable table on said post, a shell holder on said table adapted to receive and hold a blank shell, said shell holder being movable on said table between a first position spaced from said die member and an operative position with said die member wherein the blank shell is forced into said bore through said open end causing the shell to assume a shape no greater than said bore, means for locking said table and shell holder and said die member in said operative position, a manually actuated firing pin mounted in said table in alignment with the primer in the base of the shell when said table is in said operative position for exploding a few grains of gun powder in the blank shell to create a predetermined pressure therein, a restricted passage in said die member in communication with said reduced diameter portion for relieving the pressure at a predetermined controlled ratc sufiiciently low to effect expansion of the blank shell to the configuration of said bore to produce a wildcat shell, and a mufiler mounted on said die member in communication with said restricted passage to receive and decrease the rate of gas flow from said passage and to dampen the noise produced by exploding the charge.

References fiited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 236,611 Morris Jan. 11, 1881 2,004,420 Siebert et a1 June 11, 1935 2,214,226 English Sept. 10, 1940 2,732,897 Musser Jan. 31, 1956 2,762,108 Friedman Sept. 11, 1956 2,958,115 Lyon Nov. 1, 1960 3,036,373 Drexelius May 29, 1962 3,041,906 Gilman et a1. July 3, 1962 3,045,339 Callahan July 24, 1962 

2. APPARATUS FOR FORMING A WILDCAT SHELL TO INCREASE THE ACCURACY AND RANGE OF A RIFLE USING SUCH A SHELL BY INCREASING THE VOLUME OF A BLANK SHELL HAVING A PRIMER IN THE BASE THEREOF, COMPRISING A DIE MEMBER HAVING AN ELONGATED BORE THEREIN WITH AN OPENING IN ONE END THEREOF, SAID BORE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A BLANK SHELL AND HOLD THE SAME IN A VERTICAL POSITION SO THAT A FEW GRAINS OF POWDER WILL REST ON OR NEAR THE PRIMER, SAID BORE INCLUDING A BODY SECTION TERMINATING IN SAID ONE BORE INCLUDING A BODY CORRESPONDING TO THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THE BODY OF THE WILDCAT SHELL, SAID BORE HAVING A REDUCED DIAMETER PORTION ADJACENT SAID BODY SECTION AND SPACED FROM SAID OPEN END A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FOR FORMING THE NECK AND SHOULDER OF A WILDCAT SHELL, SHELL HOLDER MEANS RELEASABLY SECURED TO SAID DIE MEMBER FOR CLOSING SAID ONE END AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE BASE OF THE BLANK SHELL, SAID SHELL HOLDER MEANS BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION SPACED FROM SAID DIE MEMBER AND AN OPERATIVE POSITION WITH SAID DIE MEMBER WHEREIN THE BLANK SHELL IS MOVED INTO SAID BORE THROUGH SAID OPEN END, MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID SHELL HOLDER MEANS AND SAID DIE MEMBER IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION, MEANS FOR EXPLODING THE FEW GRAINS OF GUN POWDER IN THE BLANK SHELL ADJACENT THE PRIMER TO CREATE A PRESSURE THEREIN SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE THE BLANK SHELL TO ASSUME THE SHAPE OF SAID BORE, AND A RESTRICTED PASSAGE IN SAID DIE MEMBER IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID REDUCED DIAMETER PORTION FOR RELIEVING THE PRESSURE AT A PREDETERMINED CONTROLLED RATE SUFFICIENTLY LOW TO EFFECT EXPANSION OF THE BLANK SHELL TO THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID BORE AND THUS PRODUCE A WILDCAT SHELL. 